Socrates, often referred to as “Doctor Socrates” due to his medical degree, remains one of football’s most captivating and complex figures. A new biography, Andrew Downie’s “Doctor Socrates,” attempts to delve beyond the myth and legend surrounding this Brazilian icon, exploring his brilliance, his activism, and his ultimately tragic flaws. This book review examines how Downie’s work unpacks the enigma of Socrates, the footballer celebrated for his languid style and sharp intellect, the political activist who championed democracy, and the man whose self-destructive tendencies cast a long shadow over his achievements.
Downie’s biography paints a portrait of Socrates as an anomaly in the world of professional football. He was an intellectual amidst athletes, a rebel from a middle-class background who almost chose medicine over the beautiful game. The book seeks to understand the roots of Socrates’s rebellious nature – a man who questioned authority and conventional wisdom in all aspects of life, from football training to political structures. Downie probes whether this very rebelliousness, while contributing to his unique persona and political actions, ultimately became Socrates’s undoing.
One of the central points of “Doctor Socrates” is the demystification of the famed Corinthians Democracy movement. While lauded as a radical experiment in democratizing Brazilian football and society, Downie suggests it functioned more like an oligarchy, with Socrates and a small group of senior players holding sway at Corinthians. Furthermore, the biography questions the purity of Socrates’s political motivations. While he bravely opposed Brazil’s military dictatorship, Downie implies that Socrates’s rebellion was also fueled by a libertarian desire for personal freedom, particularly the freedom to indulge in his drinking habits without club interference.
Socrates’s approach to physical fitness was notoriously casual, even by the standards of his era. His famous motto, “I smoke, I drink, and I think,” encapsulates his almost defiant disregard for athletic conditioning. While his footballing talent and vision were undeniable, Downie’s book suggests that Socrates’s lifestyle likely prevented him from reaching his full potential. As the biography progresses, Socrates emerges as an increasingly melancholic figure. Downie subtly draws parallels between the Brazilian legend and George Best, both gifted footballers whose personal demons curtailed their careers and lives.
While “Doctor Socrates” effectively deconstructs the myth surrounding its subject, it could have offered a more comprehensive socio-cultural backdrop of Brazil during Socrates’s era. Readers might hope for a deeper exploration of Brazil’s military dictatorship and its complex history with race and slavery, similar to Jonathan Wilson’s detailed historical approach in “Angels with Dirty Faces” about Argentinian football. The book provides limited context for the political environment in which Corinthians Democracy emerged, leaving questions about the movement’s actual aims and impact beyond Socrates’s personal desires for autonomy.
Ultimately, Andrew Downie’s “Doctor Socrates” is a valuable contribution for those seeking a nuanced understanding of this football icon. It successfully separates fact from fiction, presenting a balanced, warts-and-all portrayal of a man often idealized. The book reveals Socrates not just as a footballing genius or a political hero, but as a flawed and complex individual, offering a compelling, if sometimes sobering, look at the life of “Doctor Socrates”.
